Dystopia

In this unit we focused on two dystopia novels: 1984 by George Orwell and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. We were originally introduced to George Orwell through essays he has written and focused a lot on the topic of double-speak, or words which mean something they are not saying (ie. collateral damage for civilians killed). We also focused a lot on the aspects of both novels that are already prevalent in society, concluding in an essay debating whether Orwell's world or Huxley's world would be more likely to happen in modern times. The unit focuses a lot on the applications of the dystopia to modern times, and ended with a focus on the topic of "designer babies". We were required to write a blog taking a stance on different issues regarding the topic at the conclusion of the unit.

Brief Sample Analysis:
Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Margaret Atwood's Handmaid's Tale is a look at a dystopian society in which women and men are palced on different levels of society that cannont be changed unless moved down. Offred, the main character, is a relatively high up on the women's society ladder. Above her are Aunts and Wives. Below her are the housekeeperss and unwomen (the lowest level).
Through Atwood's use of first person narrative, she more effectively portrays the tension, awkwardness, fear, and other emotions that surround Atwood's life. One scene which could not have been portrayed as well as any other point of view was the ceremony scene in which Ofreed's "commander" tries to impregnate her while the awkwardness around the commander and bitterness around the wife shine through with Atwood's rhetoric. She keeps a stream of conciousness throughout to emphasize Offred's feelings in the situations, as well as allow her to focus to on the happiness she had in the past in contrast to the distress of her current life.

Satire

The satire unit was the final topic we covered for the year in AP Language. Following the AP exam, we were given an option to read either Faulkner's As I Lay Dying or a work by Steinbeck. The class chose As I Lay Dying. The unit was conducted with a lot of independent reading- usually around 40-50 pages for every couple of days with more for weekends. The book did not have many writing assignments, but a large focus was placed on in class discussions.

Brief Sample Analysis:
Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

Gulliver's Travels is a satirical look at the goverments of Swift's time. It is written from the point of view of a man named Gulliver as he encounteres different worlds (he was a giant in one and the size of an ant in another) throughout his journeys.
The novel begins with a publisher's note which I skipped over the first time not realizing it was part of the book. It is infact a note Swift included from the perspective of Gulliver's friend introducing the simple style that Swift chose to write in and establishing credibility for Gullver which will be needed to believe his travels.
The simple style introduced in that section is greatly needed to keep the adventures understandable and allow the correlation between the real world and Swift's satirical world to shine through. Much of the staire is hard to really catch without either knowledge of Swift's time and government or foot notes, as I have in my book. However Swift makes his story entertaining on the superficial level so even those whod on't pick up on the satirical elements can enjoy it, all though they can't appreciate it as much.

Story Truth Vs. Happening Truth

This unit started off with the memoir The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls and involved reading one of a selection of memoirs (for example, I read A Long Way Gone) independently and discussing them on nicenet. Throughout the unit we discussed the different concepts of truth, and how far you could stretch the truth before it became a lie. For example, we discussed how A Million Little Pieces author James Frey could have presented his novel as a fiction piece instead of a non-fiction memoir, and it would not have been as big of a scandal that he mislead many people into believing what he wrote actually happened. In this unit, we were all required to write our own personal memoir, based upon a picture from our past. The unit concluded with the fiction novel The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, a war story loosely based upon O'Brien's own life. The sample analysis book for this unit description is similiar to O'Brien's in that aspect.

Brief Sample Analysis:
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

A Farewell to Arms revolves around the life of Federic Henry, an american man working as an ambulence driver for Italy during WWI. The novel resembles Hemingway war experiences as They Things They Carried resembles Tim O'Brien's, however it is far from a memoir- and therefore what happened in the book does not need to be the same as what happened in Hemingway's actual life.
A Farewell to Arms is a war story that at its heart is very anti-war. Hemingway uses graphic descriptions of the injury scenes to take away any glamour that many previous war novels may have presented. The life of soldiers, or in the protaganists case- ambulence drivers- is shown as one which should be anythnig but idolized with the word choices that Hemingway makes. On the other hand, the relationship between Catherine Barkley and Henry is shown as rather casual and not as important until after Henry is injured and able to leave the battle field. This choice by Hemingway shows where the focus of his story lies, and it is a war story first, a love story after.

Description

This blog can be used for a breif outline of each unit that will be covered throughout the year in AP Language. Along with a description of the unit, an analysis of a book which ties into the unit can be found. The three sample units I have chosen to do are satire, using an analysis of Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, dystopia with Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, and the war novel A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway. Other units which are not being covered by this blog include memoir, non-fiction writings (essays, speeches, etc), and focuses on topics of rhetorical analysis.